The Ambitious Life

  Jacob, You are a joy.  You have so much energy...you have these big ideas that are sometimes brilliant and sometimes completely wacky.  I never know what is going to come out of your mouth and you keep me on my toes.  You are very concerned with things being fair and equal and you are learning that is not how life always is.  You are often very literal in your thinking which leads to some pretty interesting conclusions.  You are a great problem solver and you often think through things differently than how I might.  I am learning so much from you as I see you interact with the world.  You are constant motion and are often moving, tapping, or talking.   You have a crazy ability to remember song lyrics and the titles and artists.  I am pretty sure you have K-Love's playlist memorized!  You retain information well and when you put your mind to it, you do a great job at your school work.  I think you really enjoy having the freed...

  Levi,  You are an awesome kid.  I am so thankful to watch you grow and learn.  I feel like this year you have really just blossomed in your efforts to be thoughtful and helpful.  You've gone out of your way to help your sisters and help me out.  You also are so good with Lily - always willing to help, take her out, and help train her.  You are so fun.  You are full of energy, always awake early and you just GO all day.  You love to play Nintendo, hate to take rests, and enjoy building Legos.  You are creative in how you solve problems and often think quickly.  You LOVE a good joke and often crack me up with things you are coming up with. School has been good for you this year.  You are doing really well with your math on the computer and I think you like the freedom of doing it yourself.  You have managed to be in charge of the dishwasher most mornings and often will start breakfast for me too. We went to the zoo recentl...

  Grace,  Happy teenage years!  Hopefully they are happy - I pray regularly that your teen years would be filled with joy and that you would blossom during these years.  I remember teenage years being a rough time and I am so glad that you and I have a solid relationship with you so I can help you through it.  I have things to say, but since this is technically a public post, I won't go too deep, but I am thankful that you are learning about relationships gently.  You are learning about friendships, trust, and how to navigate all these things well.  I am so proud of your maturity and how you've walked through this stuff so far. One of my favorite memories with you this past year was going to Skyview Ranch on winter retreat.  I got to watch you ride a horse (that tried to roll over on you!), make new friends, be brave, try new things, and be grown up.  We talked about how I wasn't there to hang out with you, just to keep an eye on things since...

 Tim-boy, You are becoming such a sweet kid.  I am so thankful to watch you grow up.  You have changed so much over the past year.  You had a little bit of a stubborn year but are starting to be a little calmer in your approach to life.  You still LOVE dinosaurs.  I bought you a Dino Encyclopedia for your birthday and I am so surprised how many your recognized from the pictures.  It is still my favorite when you tell me that I am pronouncing them wrong! You come downstairs in the morning and say "Good morning mom" and then stand by my chair until I scoot over so you can sit with me.  And of course, instead of walking around to the front, you climb over the arm.   You like to play video games with your brothers and you like watching movies with your dad.  You really like Jurassic Park and Avenger movies.   You are becoming such a good reader and you do a great job on your school work.  Listening to you sound out words ...

 Abi Ann, Oh my sweet girl, happy birthday.  You are such a delight and it has been so fun to watch you blossom into an amazing young lady.  You are, by far, the quietest kiddo we have.  You don't talk a lot so when you do I try to make sure I am paying attention.  I have been so impressed with you this school year too.  You are so excited about science and always want to work ahead.  You are also working independently on English and math and it's been fun to watch you thrive. You are gentle and kind with a streak of intense.  You look out for an take care of your siblings and people around you, but if someone messes with them (or they mess with you!) you will defend.  You are super creative and constantly working on new sewing or creative projects. One of your favorite things to do, still, is go to the river with Dad.  I have also watched you become more involved with the garden this year - picking beans, noticing things about plants, a...

 Faith Lorraine, You are such a sweet kid.  Your name will always be a testament to how you came into this world, but I hope it will be a testament to who you are in the future too.  You are sweet, funny, sassy, and confident.  You are not afraid of people unless you are being shy.  You LOVE Abi and all your brothers and sisters.  I think you like sharing a room with Rachel because you are the big kid in there! You love to play with dolls, especially the stuffed dog you received for Christmas.  You like to color although you still can't be trusted completely to not color on yourself.  You love with the big girls paint your nails or take time to do your hair special. You can hold your own with the boys and are often at the center of all the action.  You like to remind us all that God made me, God loves me, and Jesus is my friend.  You are just a joy, my love and I am so glad to be your momma!  It is such a privileged and I can't wai...

  Rachel, You are my ray of sunshine.  You are a sweet, spunky girl who seems to love us fiercely while refusing to give kisses and hugs.  You'll cross your little arms and say NO!  But we are always the first ones you come running to when you need help, so I know you are confident in our love.   You call both of the big sisters Abi, which drives Grace a little nuts.  It's cute to watch and everyday you seem to pick a favorite person to cling to.  You sleep well with "Bunky" your little brown stuffed monkey that I'm pretty sure you stole from Isaac.  You wake up with a smile and spunk to start each day. You seem to have a little of the same respiratory nonsense that Faith has but I am confident you will outgrow it.  Otherwise you eat like a champion although you prefer to have a plate to graze from all day long instead of eating regular meals.  You also ALWAYS want milk instead of water.   Kiddo, I love you.  I am so ...

      Isaac,  You are a delight.  It is so fun to watch your mind at work.  You ask a million questions about how everything works and why things are the way they are.  You won't take "ask me later" for an answer and sometimes I have to look things up to be able to tell you because I don't know!  You love to push ALL the buttons, flip the switches, and see how everything works.   You are quick to interact with your brothers and sisters - wanting to play all the games.  You are both a big kid and able to keep up with all the things the twins are doing...but you are also quick to slow down to play with the little girls.  It is fun to watch you and all your brothers and sisters like to be with you! You learned to read this year and you tell me over and over that you like doing reading lessons!  I do too!  It is fun to watch your brain work to solve those puzzles too and just keep trying and learning new things.  I a...